Multi-purpose hose fitting are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,150 issued Apr. 14, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,826 issued Nov. 2, 1993 to Shannon Bard and Thomas N. Prassas, the inventors of the present invention. The disclosures of these 2 patents are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Our prior patents disclose an irrigation fitting that can connect together either irrigation tubing or garden hose having a threaded end with the same fitting. This invention extends that concept to provide a universal fitting which can be securely attached to either the female threaded end of a garden hose and several different sizes of impervious deformable plastic tubing suitably 0.580 hose, 0.620 hose and 0.700 O.D. hose.
To insure efficient water usage, modern irrigation systems deliver water in controlled amounts precisely to the desired plants so as to avoid runoff and evaporation. Two slightly different prior art designs have matured that are very popular. One prior art design employs previous or porous tubing, also known as soaker hose in the art. The other design employs impervious plastic tubing, usually polyethylene, to convey water through a collection of tee fittings, elbows, and couplings so as to distribute the water to the various plants. At each chosen location, a point source emitter attaches to the tubing with a barbed connector inserted through the tube wall. The second design is the subject of the present invention.
Manufacturers of the impervious plastic tubing have developed similar but different product lines where the plastic tubing of one manufacturer may have a different inside diameter than another manufacturer.
Couplings and fittings will work for one manufacturer's line of tubing but not for anothers. An owner of an irrigation system can become easily frustrated when having to make modifications and not knowing who was the manufacturer of the tubing line, purchasing fittings from one manufacturer only to have to return the fittings and replace them for the correct manufacturer's line.
It would be advantageous, however, if a single coupling was developed which could be used for different product lines of impermeable plastic tubing which could be combined to design a single water circuit which would incorporate different manufacturers tubing.